Firm News

SPECIAL DISTRICT ASSOCIATION OF COLORADO CONFERENCE 2017 (SDA)Richard Lyons, II, Adele Reester, Cathy Tallerico, and John Chmil will be speaking at SDA this year. Ms. Reester is on a panel to discuss: Consolidation of Fire Services: A study in Collaboration. Mr. Lyons and Mr. Chmil will be speaking on the legal challenges special districts face when setting fees and offering advice on how special districts can avoid its fees being invalidated as unconstitutional exactions.

RON PORTER AWARD OF MERITThe Boulder County Bar Association awarded Richard N. Lyons, II the Ron Porter Award of Merit at a ceremony on June 6, 2017. "I am humbled and honored to receive such a prestigious award from such a prestigious organization," said Mr. Lyons. "I am thankful that our law firm has established community service as one of its core values which enables all employees to contribute positively to our community at large, creating an atmosphere of service that extends to the world around us." Dick Lyons is Senior Counsel with the firm and has served clients and the community from Longmont to Kyrgyzstan as an expert in governmental operations, policy and constitutional law. The Ron Porter Award of Merit is an annual award given to a lawyer who exemplifies dedication to the legal practice and community service and sets a high standard of professionalism for lawyers.

FIRM WELCOMES THOMAS L. BECKMANN AS NEW SHAREHOLDERLyons Gaddis is pleased to announce that Thomas L. Beckmann has joined the firm as its newest Shareholder - Bringing together two long-standing Longmont law firms with highly complementary experience and clientele. Tom will practice at our Longmont office as a member of our Transaction and Estate Group. With 20 excellent attorneys in our Longmont and Louisville offices, Lyons Gaddis serves as trusted counsel to great organizations, companies and individuals in the region. Adding Tom to this already strong team is another step forward in our commitment to be the best at what we do.

WALLACE-GROSS ELECTED AS NEW SHAREHOLDERLyons Gaddis is pleased to announce that Madoline Wallace-Gross has become a Shareholder in the firm. Madoline will continue her work in the firm’s water law practice group, assisting clients in water rights litigation and transactional matters. Madoline will continue to represent municipalities and other government entities as well as ditch companies and private water rights owners in her statewide practice. Along with attorneys Steve Jeffers and Matt Machado, Madoline is located in Lyons Gaddis’ Louisville office. The other attorneys in the water law practice group, Jeff Kahn, Scott Holwick, and Elizabeth Joyce, are located in the firm’s Longmont office. Using a collaborative team approach, the water practice group draws from their extensive skills and experience to provide outstanding legal services to their clients from day-to-day matters to resolving complex legal issues.

GRANT ELECTED AS MANAGING SHAREHOLDERLyons Gaddis elects Cameron Grant as its new Managing Shareholder, effecive July 1, 2016. Mr. Grant succeeds Anton V. Dworak, who served as Managing Shareholder for 8 years, and joins his colleague, Catherine A. Tallerico, on the firm’s Management Committee. Read More

GRANT APPOINTED TO HOUSING AUTHORITY BOARDThe Longmont City Council appoints Cameron Grant as the newest Commissioner on the Longmont Housing Authority. Mr. Grant began his 5-year term on the LHA on July 1, 2016 and is looking forwrad to helping hte LHA fulfill its mission to provide housing and related services to low and moderate income families, elderly and disabled households and to relieve the community of substandard housing.

LOUISVILLE OFFICE OPENINGLyons Gaddis opened our new branch office located at 363 Centennial Parkway in Louisville. The branch office will be the primary office to attorneys Steve Jeffers, Matthew Machado, and Madoline Wallace-Gross, and will allow all of our attorneys to better meet the needs of clients along the Front Range. The Firm remains committed to providing exceptional service in a variety of practice areas, and is enjoying becoming a part of the Louisville community.

TALLERICO AND REESTER DEFEND ELECTION CONTESTCatherine Tallerico and Adele Reester were successful in defending an election contest regarding statutory and constitutional election claims. The trial was in Jefferson County before Chief District Judge Stephen M. Munsinger.

HALL ELECTED TO BCBA BOARD OF DIRECTORSCongratulations to Brad Hall who was elected to the Boulder County Bar Association Board of Directors.

KAHN INSTRUMENTAL IN NEW WATER LEGISLATIONJeff Kahn, on behalf of several clients, assisted other water users and attorneys to secure the enactment of SB-74 in the 2013 Colorado Legislation Session. Senate Bill 74 ("the Legacy Ditch Bill") modified existing Colorado water law. It allows, in certain circumstances, owners of agricultural water rights to take credit for the irrigation of acres not within the original place of use of the water right in a change case. The legislation is codified in the Colorado Revised Statutes, §§ 37-92-305(C)(4) and 37-92-503.

CANFIELD ACHIEVES SUMMARY JUDGEMENTEve Canfield recently prevailed in a large complex real estate litigation resulting in a positive outcome for our client. Due to the two Motions for Summary Judgment she filed in the case, the Court ruled summarily in favor of the client.

WATER ATTORNEYS SECURE SIGNIFICANT VICTORYJeff Kahn and Madoline Wallace-Gross obtained a change of water rights decree for the Town of Castle Rock allowing the storage of senior water rights owned by the Town in the planned expanded capacity in Chatfield Reservoir. Mr. Kahn and Ms. Wallace-Gross are representing the Town in other water court litigation as well as assisting the Town with its efforts to acquire renewable water supplies.

HALL SETTLES MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT CASEBrad Hall negotiated a substantial settlement for damages on behalf of our client who was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident.

ATTORNEYS PRESENT AT SDA CONFERENCESDA Annual Conference. Attorneys Adele Reester, Catherine Tallerico, and Richard Lyons are scheduled to present at the Special District Association (SDA) Annual Conference which will be held in Keystone, Colorado in September. They will be speaking on policies for special districts.

REESTER SERVES AS PANELIST AT SCHOOL LAW SEMINARAttorney Council Annual School Law Seminar.Adele Reester was a panel member at the Attorney Council Annual School Law Seminar involved in discussions of Senate Bill 10-191. Ms. Reester continues to participate with the CASB's Legislative Council.

KAHN SERVES AS PANELIST AT WATER LAW CONFERENCE2014 Colorado Water Law Conference: Jeff Kahn participated as a panelist to discuss "ditch wide" (or "system wide") changes of water rights and the Legacy Ditch Bill enacted in the 2013 Colorado Legislative Session. The conference was in Avon, Colorado.

WALLACE-GROSS TEACHES UNIVERSITY COURSEMetropolitan State University - Intro to Water Law:Madoline Wallace-Gross was a guest lecturer at Metropolitan State University of Denver this fall. She spoke on "Introduction to Water Law and Administration: Colorado and the West." The classes were specific to tributary water, non-tributary water, river administration, and water entities.

HOLWICK SERVES AS PANELIST AT WATER-ENERGY CONFERENCEWater-Energy Nexus. Scott Holwick participated as a panelist in the Water-Energy Nexus workshop series. Each workshop consisted of facilitated discussions regarding a variety of topics. Participants in the series included water and energy utility planners, county and city land use planners, and other governmental entities that impact energy, water, and land use planning.